


Strange Sight

by nana_banana



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Blindshipping, Blood, Characters Are Adults, Fluff and Humor, Gemshipping, Happy Ending, Language, M/M, Mild Language, Puzzleshipping, Sexual Humor, Spying, Tendershipping, Violence, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-05-12 17:44:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5674918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nana_banana/pseuds/nana_banana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Yuugi woke up that morning, he had no clue his day would include such a heartthrob. Much less did he expect to spy on said gorgeous man for the entire week. He blames Ryou. It's all his friend's fault, really. But Yuugi can't really complain, can he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Red-haired Adonis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AwesomeHeart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwesomeHeart/gifts).



> Happy birthday, AwesomeHeart! Sorry I can't give you something better.
> 
> Everyone else, enjoy some silliness.

On Sunday morning, when most people slept in, Yuugi Mutou found himself woken by fevered knocking. Groaning, he rolled over in his bed, severely miscalculating the width of his haven and promptly falling to the floor in a heap of sheets. The knocking continued as Yuugi let out a pitiful moan, popping his head up out of his covers with a sigh. Struggling out of the blankets, a sleepy Yuugi made his way to his front door. A loud yawn escaped him as he opened the door, only to find a pale young man on the other side. Frowning with confusion, Yuugi registered the sheepish grin on his face and a box of cookies in his hands. Bleary-eyed, Yuugi emitted another yawn and welcomed him in with a wave of his hand. Closing the door behind Ryou, he decided to put on some tea.

“Not that I don't love seeing you, Ryou,” Yuugi said tiredly as he located the kettle and clumsily filled it with water, “but what are you doing here so early?”

“To be honest,” Ryou said from the living room, “I was kinda lonely in the apartment by myself. Malik went off somewhere – visiting a cousin or something, and Bakura's at work.” Ryou hummed slightly and Yuugi heard him shifting the blinds at the balcony doors. “I just thought I'd drag you out of bed and hang out with you. I brought your favorite cookies.”

“Okay then,” Yuugi laughed before registering the last part. “You brought shortbread cookies?” he said hopefully.

“Second favorite,” Ryou said distractedly.

“Jammie dodgers?” Yuugi questioned.

But it seemed that Ryou was no longer listening.

“Hey, Yuugi, where are those binoculars that 'Kura gave you for your birthday?” Ryou asked. He was standing at the glass sliding doors, peering out between the long blinds. The sun was hitting him square in the face, but Ryou seemed determined to stare outside.

Yuugi looked up from where he was setting the kettle on his stove across the apartment. Curious, he looked to Ryou before turning back to switch the stove on. He then wandered up to his friend to look over Ryou's shoulder.

“Probably still in the box it came in at the back of my closet,” he replied, “why? What are you looking at?” Yuugi squinted, but he could not see anything but the building across the busy street below. They were seven stories high and Yuugi did not know what Ryou would want with the last-minute gift Bakura had given him. There was not much to see other than the building. With the glare of the sun beginning to hurt his eyes, he had no choice but to pull back, blinking the darkness from his vision.

“Go get them,” Ryou said, and Yuugi frowned when he noticed that Ryou had yet to look away. “I wanna check something.”

“Okay,” Yuugi chirped and left the room. As he entered his bedroom, he tried to recall exactly where he had stuffed the gift Bakura had given him to “go bird-watching”, as the man had said. At the memory, Yuugi sighed; he did not like birds. The flying terrors seemed to like his dark purple curls too much and often swooped down at him, taking at least a week off his lifespan every time. Why Bakura thought he needed (or would even want) binoculars in the first place was a complete mystery to Yuugi. In the end, he simply liked to conclude that his old friend had forgotten his birthday and run into the nearest store to purchase the first thing he saw. It was not like Yuugi particularly minded; it was the thought that counted anyway.

Making his way to the closet, Yuugi opened it, eyeing the neat insides and glancing around at the shelves he had had Bakura install on one side. He immediately spotted the gift, indeed still in its packaging, and plucked it from its spot. He held it in hand skeptically and shrugged before closing the door and heading back to Ryou. He found Ryou still in the same position as before, hand holding the blinds to the side as he looked out with heavy interest.

“Here you go,” Yuugi said and handed over the box to his friend who took it immediately. Ryou quickly did away with the packaging, ripping through it with his teeth when necessary. Yuugi watched, fascinated as Ryou yanked out the binoculars and pointed them outside, adjusting the view accordingly as his knee held the blinds open. After a moment, he hummed thoughtfully and a grin came over his face.

“I was right,” he said with self-satisfaction, “he's definitely hot.”

Mouth falling open, Yuugi stared at his friend in shock. “Ryou!” he exclaimed, “are you seriously spying on someone right now? You have a boyfriend! My best friend!”

Laughing, Ryou handed the binoculars over with a wink and pulled Yuugi closer to the glass.

“Directly across, the guy doing pull-ups on the balcony. Tell me that isn't a hot piece of ass,” he said and held the blinds open as Yuugi blushed before moving the binoculars to his eyes, “and speaking of Bakura, if you could do me a favor and mention this to him, that would be lovely.”

“You _want_ me to tell him you're spying on some random guy?” Yuugi asked him as he looked through the specs, “are you sure about – oh, my _god.”_

Yuugi had spotted the man Ryou was talking about. Directly across from his apartment, was a redheaded man doing pull-ups with a bar installed over the open door that lead to his balcony. Shirtless, his dark ochre skin glistened with sweat, the muscles in his arms and back flexing like something Yuugi had once seen in a porno. The man moved without struggle or pause, his arms pulling his body up and down like a smooth wave of man. Yuugi was transfixed, awed and rendered mute by the erotic workout. He knew he was gaping, but it was hard not to when there was a red-haired Adonis working out across the way. It was quite the tantalizing show.

“Told you,” Ryou said with utmost smugness, “congratulations, you have a smoking hot neighbor.”

Humming in agreement, Yuugi fixed the focus on the binoculars. He leaned forward slightly, jumping when the binoculars struck the glass with a hard thunk. A snort left Ryou, but Yuugi ignored it, far too busy enjoying the display of muscles to care.

“Thank you, Bakura,” he muttered to himself.

“About him, you would be doing me a huge favor if you told him,” Ryou said, almost pleadingly, “he gets jealous so easily and he pounds me into the mattress until I can't take it anymore. So please tell him. I need a good fuck.”

“You are a giant pervert,” Yuugi mumbled as he watched the gorgeous man working out. The redhead had switched his position and he was now only using one arm to pull himself up the bar. Yuugi bit at his lip and sighed. The things he wished he could do to that man were many, and the list was growing by the second.

“You would be too if you had a boyfriend as hot as mine,” Ryou said teasingly, poking him in the ribs and chuckling when Yuugi squirmed away from him, “trust me, when you have a jealous-type boyfriend who likes to assert his supposed 'claim'” – Ryou made quotation marks with his fingers, rolling his eyes – “on you by fucking you to the moon and back, then this is the best kind of foreplay.”

But Yuugi was no longer listening. He was too intently focused on the man across the street. The gorgeous redhead with golden highlights had captured his attention absolutely … in more ways than one.

“That's just unfair,” Yuugi whined, “no one is that hot working out. I work out and my face gets all red and gross and I get all huffy and look so weird and this guy looks like he's not even trying. To be honest, I'm kind of offended.”

“I dunno,” Ryou said dreamily, “Bakura makes me sit on his back when he does push-ups. He looks pretty hot doing it. But then, everything Bakura does is hot. It's kind of infuriating at times because he uses his hotness to distract me when I'm mad at him.” But his words were lost on deaf ears.

The kettle began to whistle and Yuugi was reluctant to listen to its beckoning call. The man across the way had just switched arms and Yuugi had a grand desire to see how that would turn out.

“I'll get that, shall I?” Ryou chuckled and dropped the blinds. Yuugi immediately moved a hand to hold them open. He heard his friend walk away, laughing as he went.

“Thanks,” Yuugi called and watched as the man finished his sets. After a brief stretch of his muscles, the redhead retrieved a jump rope from the table on his balcony. Yuugi sucked in a breath when he saw the man's face. God had been more than kind to this man. He had gorgeous, wine-colored eyes with a thick set of eyelashes, sharp slanted cheekbones, and a beautifully-sculptured jaw. Yuugi's mouth parted in disbelief.

“Holy hell, he's _really_ cute,” Yuugi breathed.

Somewhere in the background, there was a sudden rattle of teacups and Ryou laughed loudly. Yuugi could hear him moving around and setting up their tea. He would have turned to tell Ryou to be careful, but was instantly distracted as the man readied his jump rope. When the man started jumping in place, Yuugi huffed indignantly.

“This is ridiculously obscene,” Yuugi said, exasperated, “there's no way that body is legal. Oh, great, he's only using one leg. I swear to god, he's going to get fined for indecent exposure. He's indecently exposing himself. How dare he.” An irritated noise left him and he continued his rant. “I should call the cops before he causes a heart attack. I bet a poor, sweet old lady is watching him and dying right now – oh, he's switched legs. Oh, my god, those shorts should be banned. I don't think he's wearing underwear! Jesus, let that be real and not just conveniently creased clothing – oh, my god, he's _perfect._ _”_

Silently laughing, Ryou slowly approached with two cups of tea, trying his hardest not to drop them. The cups sloshed dangerously and he had to pause in the living room for a second to regain control of himself. When he was sufficiently calm, he continued over to Yuugi, pausing at his side. He nudged Yuugi who did not bother looking away from the supposed obscenity across the street to address him with a hum of acknowledgment.

“Wanna have tea on the balcony, then?” Ryou asked him with a definite smile in his voice.

Yuugi huffed again and seemed to press the binoculars even closer against his face. He grumbled unintelligibly for a moment before raising his voice.

“As if I wanted to – Christ almighty, how is he not tired yet – now he's just showing off, how _rude.”_

* * *

This went on for a week. Yuugi and Ryou would have tea and spy on Yuugi's hot neighbor. They would watch him work out, or rather Yuugi would and Ryou would smirk since he already had a gorgeous, white-haired man he deeply cared for. One such morning, Ryou had somehow convinced Yuugi that having their tea on the balcony would be a good idea. They set up the tea on the little garden table Yuugi had purchased for his balcony and sat in the metal chairs. Above them, the large, white table umbrella kept the pale men safe from the sun's burning rays.

Yuugi's binoculars sat in the middle of the table, waiting for his itching fingers to take them up. Nervously, he cast glances across the street to the apartment, waiting for the gorgeous man to come out and begin his exercises. Before him, Ryou chatted happily about something Yuugi was definitely not paying attention to. He felt quite guilty for it, but considering what he was waiting for, Yuugi was sure Ryou would understand his distraction.

“He's taking a while, isn't he?” Yuugi asked, interrupting his friend mid-word for the second time that day.

Sighing heavily, Ryou gave Yuugi a small displeased pout before looking to the other balcony. He shrugged and sipped at his tea, determinedly unconcerned with Yuugi's anxiety.

“Go ask him out already,” Ryou said with another sigh, “or quit interrupting me. I can only take so much pining.”

“I am _not_ pining,” Yuugi groused, a scandalized expression crossing his features, “and I will not ask him out. I don't even _know_ him. All I know is that he works out religiously and that does not seem like someone I would want to date.” He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair to pout. “Besides,” he said morosely, “I don't think he's gay. Only straight men work out _that_ much –”

“Yuugi, do you not remember how much _you_ worked out when you finished high school?” Ryou said with amusement, “because I clearly remember a short little guy taking to the gym so much that the only way to see him was to go with him.”

“Yeah, well, I was confused,” Yuugi joked with a slight smile, “and I'm not short anymore. Thank god.” A wayward breeze blew Yuugi's blonde bangs into his eyes and he struggled to push his blonde bangs behind his ears. When he managed to control his hair, he frowned at Ryou who remained unruffled as always, his long white hair resting neatly over his shoulders.

“Indeed,” Ryou said as he smiled, amused at Yuugi's dilemma, “but you're still not as tall as Bakura.” And then Ryou chuckled aloud as Yuugi glared at him.

“Ugh, don't rub it in,” Yuugi groaned, reaching for a shortbread cookie on the platter between them, “I hear that enough from _him._ It's been six years, he's only four inches taller than me and that jerk still calls me 'pipsqueak'.” Yuugi bit into his cookie, looking twice as annoyed as before and Ryou's shoulders shook with silent laughter. He shook his head bemusedly at Yuugi.

“How you two ended up friends,” Ryou said, “I'll never understand it. Not that I'm complaining, since it's because of you that we met.”

Suddenly, Yuugi grinned at him.

“What else do you need to know besides the fact that I was the only kid in our high school that wasn't terrified of him?” he said with humor and took another bite of his cookie, “He didn't have much of a choice. I was the only one who was nice to him and I grew on him like mold.” Shaking his head, Yuugi laughed. “Of course, I didn't know when I met him that he was … well, like he is, but that's another story altogether. Also, no one ever picked on me after they realized Bakura liked me.”

“Mm, yes,” Ryou murmured and Yuugi just _knew_ that his friend was imagining his hot, strong, and scary boyfriend. Rolling his eyes, Yuugi glanced over to the other balcony, almost dropping his cookie in surprise.

“Oh, my god. He's there!” Yuugi breathed excitedly.

Quickly, Yuugi exchanged his cookie for the binoculars and peered through them intently. His neighbor was already hard at work on his pull-ups, his muscled back facing them.

“I bet his abs look killer when he's doing that,” Yuugi said, “what a jerk.”

Ryou's helpful input was to sigh as he picked up his phone, swiping through its contents. By now, Ryou knew better than to try and get his attention when the redhead was there. Once the redhead had emerged onto the balcony, Yuugi was lost to him.

“Seriously, I don't understand how a guy working out can be so – oh, crap!” Yuugi abruptly pointed the binoculars somewhere above in the sky, a red flush creeping into his cheeks. Looking up from his phone, Ryou raised his eyebrows at him and then glanced to the other apartment where the handsome man had stopped working out. A smirk formed on his lips.

“Been caught, have ya?” Ryou teased.

“Oh, crap, I think he saw me,” Yuugi said as he panicked, binoculars still pointed to the sky.

“I doubt it,” Ryou said cryptically, “he's like six car lanes away.”

“No, I'm _sure_ he saw me,” Yuugi whispered frantically, the red on his cheeks spreading to his ears. He looked absolutely mortified. “Is he looking? Is he still looking?” Yuugi asked his friend in a rush as he desperately pointed his binoculars into the sky. Beside him, Ryou began to giggle.

“He's not looking anymore,” Ryou said with a wide grin.

Yuugi breathed a hefty sigh of relief and visibly deflated into a relaxed slump. He straightened and turned his binoculars back to the other balcony, only to freeze in place. The man was there, leaning on the railing. He was staring straight at them with a large smirk on his beautifully-sculpted face, amusement oozing from his every pore. He raised a hand and Yuugi felt his face drain of color. And when he began to wave, Yuugi choked on air. Jerking back, Yuugi lowered his specs to glare at Ryou who abruptly burst into a fit of laughter at the embarrassed and infuriated look on his face.

“Ryou, you traitor! You said he wasn't looking!” Yuugi hissed with betrayal laced in his every word. “What are you – don't _wave_ at him!” he fretted, face red at being caught spying so blatantly on his delicious-looking neighbor by said neighbor himself. But it was a futile request as Ryou was wiggling his fingers coquettishly to the man, still giggling, and Yuugi wanted nothing more than to bury himself six feet underground.

“I couldn't help myself,” Ryou laughed as he continued to look over to the man, “it was a compulsion. I had to do it – oh, he went back inside.”

Yuugi scoffed and shook his head, his gut clenched so hard, he was sure it had turned to stone.

“Oh, I'm not falling for that one. I'm humiliated enough,” Yuugi said desolately and buried his crimson face into his free hand.

“No,” Ryou said, his laughter dying into small chuckles, “I'm serious. He went back in. Take a look.”

Yuugi bit his lip and carefully peeked over to see that Ryou was indeed correct. The sexy man had disappeared from the balcony. Frowning, Yuugi took up his binoculars once more. As he looked through them, he searched, but he could not see the man anywhere beyond the glass doors. The living room and kitchen beyond it were empty as well. Heart sinking in his chest, Yuugi sighed.

“Well, that's great,” Yuugi bemoaned sadly, “now he thinks I'm a creep. He'll never exercise again!” He was about to look away in defeat, ready to wallow in his humiliation when movement caught his attention. Immediately, Yuugi straightened his binoculars and looked. Coming back into the living room, was the man. He had something in his hand.

“Is that a notebook?” Yuugi voiced with confusion.

The man came out to the balcony and Yuugi lowered the binoculars slightly, peering over them in bewilderment. He frowned pensively and noticed the man was showing them something. Raising the binoculars once more, he fussed with the focus and stilled. The man was holding up a spiral notebook with a grin on his handsome face, but instead of giddiness, Yuugi felt his mood take a sharp left turn.

“What's it say?” Ryou asked him, curious.

“It says 'you're cute',” Yuugi said with a quiet sigh, a wry smile pulling at his lips. He was not the least bit surprised. Ryou was very cute; he was always asked out first when they went out together. It did not usually bother him, but it felt different this time. It was different because he was actually interested in this one. Lowering the binoculars, Yuugi turned his head to show his friend his displeasure. “Congrats. My hot neighbor thinks you're cute.”

Abruptly, Ryou stood from the table and quickly made his way inside. Yuugi watched him go with mild confusion until Ryou returned with a large black marker and one of Yuugi's spare notepads. Yuugi watched him write on the pages in huge blocky letters:

 

**Sorry, I'm taken.**

 

“I don't think he's going to be able to see that,” Yuugi said as Ryou held up the sign.

“If he thinks I'm cute, he can see me clearly,” Ryou responded, “he must be farsighted.” He flipped through the pages slowly and Yuugi looked through his binoculars to see if Ryou was right. The man, though, was writing a new sign.

“Oh, he just might be,” Yuugi commented. When the man held up the notebook, Yuugi read the first page aloud.

“'I'm sorry',” Yuugi read and the man turned the page, “'I meant',” the man turned the page again, “'your friend'. Oh, my god, he meant _me?”_ Yuugi almost dropped the binoculars when the man sent him a saucy wink. A furious blush filled his cheeks and Yuugi gaped, hardly daring to believe it. At the sound of a squeaking marker, he turned to see Ryou holding up a new sign. This one read:

 

**He's single!!**

 

“Ryou!” Yuugi screeched in embarrassment and looked back through the specs to see the man writing again. With his heart racing, Yuugi anxiously waited until the man held up the sign and he read it aloud again. Though, this time, there was a slight tremble of excitement to his voice.

“'Sweet',” he read and the man turned the page, “'my name'” – another page turn – “'is Atemu'. Oh, that's a nice name.” Yuugi could hear Ryou's marker squeaking across another sheet of paper. He knew that Ryou would be giving the man his name, but he did not try to stop his friend. Instead, Yuugi watched as Atemu read the page, nervously biting his lip as he began to write again. Heart lodged in his throat, Yuugi gulped and the man raised his notebook.

“'Go out'” – page turn – “'with me?' Oh, my god. He's asking me out,” Yuugi squeaked. He dropped the binoculars to see Ryou looking at him with an expectant expression. With a shrug, he held out the notepad and marker, leaving the decision up to Yuugi. Taking a breath, Yuugi set down the binoculars, steadying himself. He then accepted the items with a shaky smile.

“Go for it,” Ryou said and Yuugi nodded at him. Turning to a new page, Yuugi hesitated before clearing his throat. His stomach was a mess of butterflies and flipping nerves, but he wrote his reply and held it up with trembling fingers:

 

**Yes.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really like the idea of Yuugi and Bakura being best friends. Fight me.


	2. Notice Me, Kouhai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bakura objects to Yuugi's date, but finds he's overruled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I was going to end it this chapter, but then people started asking about Yuugi and Atemu's date, so there's now a third chapter and _that_ will be the end of this fic. Promise. This is not going to turn into another [The Aftermath](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3874354). I refuse. Three chapters. That's it. 
> 
> Now, please enjoy the chapter.

Later that day found Yuugi in his bathroom, carefully brushing his hair and humming. He was preparing for his date; he had agreed to go out with his neighbor and, soon, the man would be coming to his front door. Wanting to look nothing but his best, Yuugi showered, shaved, and while he would deny it to hell and back, had even trimmed his personal area. He was not looking to get laid on his first date, but anxiety and nerves had persuaded Yuugi into being presentable on _all_ accounts. In any case, he could not go wrong with the extra boost of self-confidence. After, he had dressed in a ruby red button-up, dark-wash jeans, and his nicest pair of black boots.

At the sound of footsteps, Yuugi knew Ryou had entered his bedroom. Without pausing, he continued to tame his wild hair. A sigh came from his room and Yuugi used the mirror to look into his bedroom to meet his friend's gaze. Yuugi halted in his brushing. There was a large grin on Ryou's pale face. His friend had not stopped smiling in his glee for Yuugi. And while Yuugi was pleased that Ryou was happy for him, he was also starting to feel a little embarrassed by the obvious joy. Ryou came to stand in the doorway to the bathroom and leaned against the doorjamb with his grin still plastered to his face.

 _“I smell cologne,”_ Ryou sang and Yuugi blushed to the tips of his ears. He chose to ignore the comment.

“Stop smiling already,” Yuugi pouted, continuing his task. Ryou's grin only widened, though it turned sheepish.

“I'm sorry, Yuugi. I'm just really happy that you've got a date,” Ryou commented, “now Bakura can stop worrying about you.”

Putting down his brush, Yuugi turned to look at his friend with a cocked eyebrow.

“Bakura's been worrying about me?” he asked with surprise, “Why?”

“Oops,” Ryou said. Dropping his smile, his brown eyes widened and, all of a sudden, he looked guilty.

“Spill,” Yuugi demanded.

Cringing, Ryou sighed. He entered the bathroom and seated himself on the counter, effectively dropping Yuugi's shaving cream into the sink. Ryou picked it up and set it aside before sighing again.

“Bakura's been a little worried that you wouldn't find anyone –”

“Has it really been that long?” Yuugi interrupted, frowning to himself.

“Yuugi, the last time you went out with someone was like two years ago,” Ryou deadpanned with a pointed look.

“Well, what about that time I went out with that asshole with the pink hair?” Yuugi asked.

“Yuugi,” Ryou stressed, “that _was_ two years ago.”

Yuugi paled.

“Oh, my god,” Yuugi said as realization dawned on him, “I'm out of practice. What if I make a fool out of myself? What's new in dating? Ryou, help me.” Yuugi clasped his hands together in a pleading fashion and Ryou laughed before waving his worries away with a hand.

“Calm down, dating is the same as it's always been,” Ryou shrugged lightheartedly and Yuugi gave him a pained look. Tilting his head to the side, Ryou smiled wryly and decided to have mercy on his friend. “The first date is always awkward, but not overbearingly so. It's the date when neither of you will be able to do anything right and will be too distracted by your own insecurities to notice the other's mistakes … wait, that was high school.”

Ryou looked to the shower pensively, tapping his chin as he tried to think. “It can't be that different from high school. You'll do fine,” he decided and Yuugi let out a whine before letting his head drop in defeat.

“I'm going to make an ass out of myself,” Yuugi bemoaned.

“Just let him see your ass and you're good to go,” Ryou winked and Yuugi blushed two shades of red past embarrassed.

“Ryou! I'm not going to sleep with him on the first date!” Yuugi protested.

“I never said that,” Ryou said calmly, “I only said to show him your cute butt and he'll be putty in your hand –”

A sudden slam cut Ryou off and both men jumped at the sound.

“...What was that?” asked Ryou.

“I think it came from the front door,” Yuugi said thoughtfully and both men glanced out of the bathroom uncertainly, straining their ears.

Sounds of a scuffle reached them and the two friends looked to each other with wide eyes before hurrying over to the source at the front door. Grunts and growls could be heard then and Yuugi looked to a worried Ryou before opening the door.

In the hallway, two dark-skinned men were wrestling with each other. A man with red hair and blonde highlights was trying his hardest to place the other man, one with wild, white hair, into a headlock. Said white-haired man was doing his best to elbow the first in the face. Both men looked like angry five-year-olds fighting over a toy. At their feet, was a bouquet of roses in danger of being trodden.

The red-haired man succeeded in putting the white-haired man into a headlock.

“That was a cheap fucking shot, you coward,” the man growled and the white-haired man reached up to yank on the man's hair harshly before elbowing him in the stomach and forcing the other to release him.

“Yeah, well, fuck you!” the man snarled before turning and leaping at the red-haired man, shoving him into the opposite wall and swinging a fist at his face. Right before it struck his jaw, the other man caught his fist and twisted it.

Ryou and Yuugi stood gawking in the doorway before they finally came to their senses and shouted at the same time.

“Bakura!”

“Atemu?!”

* * *

**From _Ryou_ :**

**Yuugi has a daaate!!!**

 

“Date?” Bakura asked himself, “what fucking date?” The white-haired man rubbed at his nose as he passed the flower vendor. Sneezing harshly, he glared at the owner of the stall before walking on. He hated flowers. He hated anything that carried pollen. That shit made him sneeze like no tomorrow. He sneezed again and cursed. Allergies sucked ass. At the end of the street, he stopped, waiting for the light to signal the okay to proceed. Looking back to his phone, he sent a reply.

 

**To _Ryou_ :**

**Wut fkng date? Who told dat pipsqueak  
he culd date? Wut stpd mudrfkr axd  
him out w/o chkng w/ me?**

 

Just as the light changed, he looked up. He glanced around before going on to cross the street. His phone buzzed in his hand and he checked his message while keeping one eye on the path before him.

 

**From _Ryou_ :**

**If it were up to you, no one would be  
good enough for him.**

 

 _That's because no one_ is _good enough,_ Bakura scoffed and his phone buzzed with another message.

 

**From _Ryou_ :**

**Be happy he has a date! It's been two  
years, the guy is hot, and he didn't hit  
on me first.**

 

Bakura's eyes narrowed dangerously at that. He sent back a reply and entered the building.

 

**To _Ryou_ :**

**O, u thnk he hot?**

 

Tucking his phone into his pocket, he headed over to the elevator. Entering it, he jabbed at the seven and not-so-patiently waited for the doors to close.

“Hold the elevator please,” called a baritone voice and Bakura frowned before jabbing at the button to close the doors faster. He was not one to share anything, much less an elevator if he could help it. Close quarters with any single person was a nightmare and an elevator was the worst place to be trapped with strangers. Strange odors, awkward standing, uncomfortable silence; Bakura absolutely detested it. Like hell he would ever willingly subject himself to sharing an elevator. The doors began to close and Bakura willed them to go faster. He could hear footsteps rushing over and grinned when the doors were almost shut.

“No, thanks,” he called back with a smirk. Bakura thought he saw a flash of a brown hand right before the doors closed completely. Smug over his little victory, Bakura leaned against the wall and waited as the elevator sputtered to life and slowly climbed up to the seventh floor. When he arrived there, he pressed every button to stall the elevator on every floor, just to be an asshole. He took his sweet time with it too, enjoying the punch of each and every button, keeping his foot out the door to stop it from closing and trapping him inside. Once done, he made his way down the hall and to the flat of his best friend. He was about to knock when a growl interrupted his action.

“Of course it's you,” said the voice from before, slightly breathless, “who else would be such an asshole.” It did not sound like a question.

Bakura turned to see a short man at the end of the hall with dark ochre skin and a frown on his face, violet-red eyes narrowed into a glare. Although he was breathing faster than normal, he did not appear winded. He was wearing a pressed white shirt, top buttons undone to show off a sliver of his attractive flesh, his legs wrapped in dark, denim pants, and in his hand was a bouquet of roses. Clenching his fists, Bakura scowled at him.

“So you're the one who asked me to hold the elevator?” Bakura sneered, “Ha! _Good._ Serves you right, you fucking prick. How the fuck did you even get up here so fast?”

“I took the stairs, numbnuts. Ever heard of them?” the redhead retorted, “I'd say not considering all the huffing you do on the treadmill. I'm not going to be late just because some asshole decided to screw with me. But now that I know it was you, I'm not surprised.” He huffed irately as he approached, his walk steady and his shoulders stiff.

Bakura sneered at him, ready to snap a comeback, before he registered the caramel-colored rectangular frames upon the bridge of the redhead's nose. Disconcerted with the lenses, Bakura pointed at his face.

“Since when do you use glasses?” he asked, caught off guard.

To his bewilderment, the man flushed in embarrassment, his entire being bristling. His jaw flexed irately.

“Since none of your goddamn business,” the man gritted out.

“Your face looks fucking weird,” Bakura jeered and the other man frowned severely.

“You know, I really don't get your fucking problem with me,” he said with incredulity, “but your little grudge is childish.” He came to a stop only a couple of feet away from Bakura, raising his head to glare at him. “Grow up, will you?”

“You ate my fucking Ho Ho,” Bakura snarled, incensed, “I'll never forgive you for it!”

The man stared at Bakura for a long couple of seconds, confusion coming over his features. He lifted a hand, opening his mouth to retort, but closed it, frowning. Dropping the hand, he shook his head.

“The hell are you talking about?” he asked, his every feature marred with absolute bafflement.

“Fifth grade,” Bakura snapped, “lunch time. I was minding my own fucking business and you came and _ate_ my fucking Ho Ho.”

The man stared at him again, though this time, his confusion was replaced with disbelief. He shook his head again in incredulity.

“You're insane, you know that? That was more than a fucking decade ago!” the man said in his exasperation, “How could you still be pissed about that?!”

“It was the last one I had!” Bakura barked.

“It was just a fucking snack!” the man snapped, “Thirteen years ago! Get over it!”

“It was _my_ Ho Ho!” Bakura shouted before launching himself onto the man who immediately dropped the bouquet to the ground to engage him.

They tussled and wrestled, landing a punch here, a blow there. They cursed at each other and yanked hair. At one point, the other man's glasses fell from his face and he faltered, taking a second to kick them carefully away to safety. But his distraction cost him, and Bakura kneed him in the crotch. Wincing, the redhead shoved him into the wall before cupping himself and cursing. When Bakura came forth for another strike, the man shoved his pain aside to yank Bakura around, trying to force him into a headlock.

“That was a cheap fucking shot, you coward!” He shouted when he succeeded.

“Yeah, well, fuck you!” screamed Bakura before knocking the wind out of him.

And that was how Yuugi and Ryou found the pair. The two friends gaped before releasing identical shouts of alarm.

“Bakura!”

“Atemu?!”

Atemu froze as his head whipped around to see the two young men staring in shock and awe. His eyes met Yuugi's and he managed to register that it was his date staring at him, seeing him act like a goddamn caveman before Bakura landed a furious punch to his nose. Then Atemu felt only pain and he smacked his head on the wall with the force of the blow.

“Take that, you fucking Ho Ho thief!” Bakura cried in victory.

“Bakura!” shrieked an angry Ryou and Bakura turned.

He flinched at the sight of his angry boyfriend, looking caught and disgruntled.

“Ryou … oh, shit,” Bakura said before Atemu punched him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him and sending him collapsing to the floor.

“Oh, my god, Atemu!” Yuugi shouted and Atemu turned, suddenly remembering their audience. He stilled and guilt overtook his features as Yuugi gawked. “You're bleeding!” Yuugi gasped and darted over to him, stepping over Bakura's prone, moaning form on the floor.

“I'm lying right here, you know,” Bakura groaned, breathless and irate as Ryou glared down at him.

“Serves you right,” Ryou hissed as he crouched beside him, “what the hell do you think you're doing?!” Helping him up, Ryou smacked him on the shoulder. “That's Atemu! Yuugi's date!”

Bakura was in the middle of wiping the blood from from his split lip, when his jaw went slack and his expression darkened significantly.

“The hell he is!” Bakura growled and Ryou smacked his arm again.

“Behave!” Ryou hissed and Bakura grit his teeth as Yuugi fussed over Atemu's bleeding nose.

“Atemu, your nose,” Yuugi said worriedly and Atemu attempted to wave off his concerns.

“I'm fine,” he mumbled and Yuugi shook his head as Atemu leaned down to grab the bouquet of roses and a pair of glasses that had miraculously survived their small brawl. Pulling on the glasses, he lifted the flowers to Yuugi's eye level, a gentle smile on his face. “I got you flowers,” he said and Bakura sneezed with a curse.

Yuugi bit his lip, torn between smiling and frantic concern as he gazed down at Atemu, more than a little surprised to find that Atemu was slightly shorter than him.

“Oh, Atemu,” Yuugi said and a smile broke through, though his face was still creased with worry, “Look at yourself. What happened?” He took the flowers and tucked them into the crook of one arm as the other reached out to tentatively touch his nose. Atemu winced and Yuugi quickly apologized. Then Yuugi swiftly turned to glare at Bakura who was nonchalantly wiping blood onto his shirt.

“Bakura!” Yuugi snapped and Bakura paled. “Shame on you!”

“Shame on me!?” Bakura rasped, “I'm not the asshole who ate the last Ho Ho!”

“You know this guy?” Atemu voiced and Yuugi turned back to Atemu, face clear of anger and suddenly sheepish.

“Um, well, he's kind of my best friend,” Yuugi mumbled and Atemu stared at him in shock.

“That guy is your best friend?” he said incredulously.

“Damn right I am,” Bakura snapped.

Atemu stared at Yuugi, then at Bakura. He glanced between them several times with increasing bewilderment.

“Just – how?” he asked and Yuugi shrugged.

“Maybe we should talk about this inside,” Yuugi said and took Atemu's hand, leading him into the apartment to Bakura's ultimate vexation.

“You're not going out with him!” Bakura shouted and Ryou elbowed him in the ribs. Bakura winced, rubbing at the spot with a betrayed look on his face.

“I'm very upset with you, Bakura,” Ryou said severely.

“But, Ryou!” Bakura tried to defend himself.

“No buts!” Ryou grabbed him by the ear and pulled him into the apartment as well. Bakura cursed several times as he was yanked in. They entered the kitchen where Yuugi was cleaning Atemu up with napkins and making him tilt his head back. Bakura snickered at the sight, his own pain momentarily forgotten before Ryou gave him a tug. He cursed in protest.

“You're gonna yank my ear off, you psycho!” Bakura yelled and Ryou gave him an extra-hard tug for the insult.

“You're already in the doghouse. Are you sure you want to piss me off?” Ryou asked him sweetly and Bakura closed his mouth, mumbling an apology through his closed lips. With squinted eyes, Ryou gave him a skeptical look. “I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that.”

“I'm _sorry,”_ Bakura growled and Ryou narrowed his honey-brown eyes at him. He waited for only a moment and finally released his ear.

“I don't believe you,” Ryou sniffed and turned away from him. He was done with Bakura for the moment. Walking over to the man Yuugi was moving to a chair at the table, he asked, “Are you alright?”

“Who the fuck cares? What about me?” Bakura snarled and both friends turned to glare at him. Bakura wisely shut his mouth and rubbed at his sore ear. He glared at Atemu and sat across from him at the table.

“I'm fine,” said Atemu thickly and waved a hand with nonchalance, “this is nothing. Don't worry.”

Briefly moving away from the man, Yuugi grabbed two ice packs from the freezer and enveloped them in clean dishtowels. He pressed one to Atemu's nose and the man flinched. Yuugi hissed in empathy and apologized as he handed the other to Ryou.

“Sorry,” Yuugi said gently and smiled.

“It's totally fine,” said Atemu and he grinned back at Yuugi. His grin was wide and absolutely charming, even with an ice pack pressed to his nose. Blushing slightly, Yuugi was instantly smitten and his smile turned shy.

While the two smiled adoringly at each other, oblivious to their surroundings, Ryou turned to Bakura and pointed a finger at him. With a warning glare, he pressed the ice pack to Bakura's mouth. Bakura hissed at the pain and instantly closed his mouth, lowering his head to glower at the table.

“...Traitor,” Bakura hissed under his breath and Ryou tossed him a displeased look, shutting him up once more.

But it was enough to distract the other two men from each other and Yuugi looked away from Atemu to raise an eyebrow at Bakura's sullen form.

“Alright,” Yuugi said, “time for explanations.”

“I didn't do nothing wrong,” Bakura mumbled and Atemu scoffed lightly. Instantly, Bakura's eyes were on him, narrowed and angry. “You got something to say, four-eyes?”

“Bakura, are you serious?” Yuugi said in exasperation as Atemu glared at him.

“He had it coming!” Bakura said with conviction and Atemu waved a bemused hand, staring at him in incredulity.

“You attacked me for no reason!” Atemu accused and Bakura huffed.

“I had a very good reason!” he objected and Ryou nudged him pointedly, silencing him with a look. Turning to Atemu, his stern glower turned into an apologetic smile.

“I'm really sorry my boyfriend ruined your date,” Ryou said, “and your shirt … and your face.”

Shrugging, Atemu was about to wave it off when his eyes widened. He stared at Ryou then, perplexed.

“Good,” Bakura muttered and no one paid him any mind.

“You're _dating_ that guy?” Atemu asked and Bakura made a sound like an angry cat. Before he could say anything, Ryou gave Bakura a sharp look that said: _not for much longer._

That sewed Bakura's lips up tight.

“Yes,” Ryou said with an edge to his tone that had nothing to do with Atemu and everything to do with Bakura's horrible personality, “the crazy man is my boyfriend.”

Atemu blinked at him before swiveling his eyes over to Yuugi next.

“And he's your _best friend?”_ Atemu asked.

Yuugi bit his lip and nodded.

“Uh, yeah,” Yuugi said with a half-smile, “since high school.”

It was then that Ryou took the flowers Yuugi had left on the table. He said, “I'll just put these in some water.” When Yuugi nodded at him, Bakura sneezed, rubbing at his eyes, and Yuugi suddenly remembered his best friend's allergies.

“I have some Benadryl,” he said to Bakura, “I'll get it.” And after excusing himself, Yuugi left the room.

Instantly, Bakura turned to Atemu and narrowed his eyes at him.

“You're just full of bad luck, aren’t you?” he snarled only to receive a pout from Ryou at his continued misbehavior.

“Bakura,” Ryou breathed, exasperated, “can you _not?”_

“No, let him say what he wants to say,” Atemu said, from behind his ice pack, “maybe once he vents all his anger, he'll finally stop.”

“You're kidding, right?” came Yuugi's voice and Atemu tilted his head slightly to see Yuugi emerging from his room with small box of medicine. Yuugi handed Bakura the box and looked to Atemu with raised eyebrows. Ryou set a glass of water before Bakura and Bakura quickly took the pills.

“You obviously don't know Bakura,” Yuugi said with a smile, “the guy knows how to hold a grudge. Like there was once this brat who stole his snack or something? In like the fourth or sixth grade and I swear to god, get him drunk and he'll go on about it for hours!” Laughing, Yuugi turned to Bakura who was staring at him stonily before looking to Atemu who had lost all semblance of expression.

“What is it?” Yuugi said and Atemu chuckled uncomfortably before Bakura snorted.

“Pipsqueak,” Bakura said and Yuugi turned to him.

“What?” Yuugi insisted and Bakura curled a finger at him. When Yuugi leaned down, Bakura took a breath and calmly spoke.

“It was _fifth_ grade and the asshole who took my Ho Ho?” Bakura pointed a finger at Atemu and scowled, “That's him.”

Standing abruptly, Yuugi stared at Bakura with wide eyes before snapping his gaze onto Atemu who fidgeted in his chair. After a few moments of silence, Yuugi's face cracked and he burst into laughter.

“Amazing,” Ryou said, eyebrows raised in wonder.

“ _You're_ the infamous Ho Ho thief?” Yuugi gasped, “Oh, my god. Is _that_ what you were fighting about?” At Atemu's nod, Yuugi snorted. Covering his face with his hands, he gained control of his laughter. Shaking his head with disbelief, Yuugi looked to Atemu with a smile. “You know, I've been hearing about you since high school. This'll be fun. Do you still take desserts because I have to say that if you try taking mine, you'll have to fight me for it.”

With a smile and a wink, Atemu shrugged.

“I guess you'll just have to wait and see,” he said and Yuugi grinned wide, visibly ecstatic. Before he could respond, Bakura snapped.

“You're not going out with him! He's also the asshole at the gym who won't stop hogging the treadmill!” He protested and Yuugi rolled his eyes. Next to the counters, Ryou was covering his face with his hand. He looked just about done with everything.

“If you'd just ask for it,” Atemu said with exasperation, “I wouldn't mind letting you have it. Also, I still don't understand why you can't just use another treadmill. There's _ten_ of them!”

Bakura scrunched his nose up at Atemu and growled.

“That one is mine!” he said. He grabbed Yuugi's forearm and narrowed his eyes. “If you go out with him, you're a traitor. I won't forgive you.”

With a sigh, Yuugi rolled his eyes a second time and patted Bakura's hand. He said, “Yes, you will. You're incapable of staying mad at me. Also, Ryou will back me up and make you sleep on the couch until you forgive me.” Grinning cheekily, Yuugi ruffled Bakura's hair and the man hissed at him, but did nothing to remove the hand. As Bakura gazed sullenly at Yuugi, Atemu stared at him as though he had grown another head.

“How the hell did you meet that jerk anyway?” Bakura asked Yuugi before casting Atemu an unpleasant grimace. Atemu simply raised his eyebrows at him and said nothing. Yuugi, though, had gone suspiciously quiet and when Bakura turned to look, he saw a blush had taken residence in Yuugi's cheeks.

“Um,” Yuugi hesitated and Atemu looked at him with a grin that only made Yuugi's blush worsen. He fidgeted and Ryou was the one to speak up.

“Thanks to your gift, Yuugi and I found out Atemu was Yuugi's neighbor and we spied on him until he caught Yuugi,” he said simply and Bakura looked thoroughly confused.

“My gift?” he questioned before directing a glare at a smiling Ryou, _“_ _You_ spied?” But Ryou only shrugged.

“A little,” he said and Bakura huffed in betrayal.

“The binoculars,” Yuugi muttered, embarrassed, and Bakura frowned at him.

“I don't understand,” he said and Yuugi's brow creased.

“Those binoculars you bought me, remember? You said they were for birdwatching. Ryou saw Atemu working out and … um,” Yuugi's face turned even more pink with shame and Atemu finished the story.

“Yuugi eventually came out onto the balcony and I asked him out. I live straight across from him.”

“Wait,” Yuugi said suspiciously, “you knew I was watching you?”

“He lives across the street?!” Bakura sputtered.

“Well, it wasn't hard to spot you,” Atemu said to Yuugi with a grin, “you weren't exactly inconspicuous, pressed against the glass like that.”

“Why the hell is this happening?” Bakura groaned to himself, dropping the ice pack to grab at his hair.

“So you _were_ showing off?” Yuugi gawked, “I _knew_ it!”

“To be completely honest,” Atemu shrugged sheepishly, “I had noticed you about a month ago, when you were cleaning the balcony, but I didn't know how to get your attention … and I thought it'd be weird to just show up – what if you were straight? So I thought, maybe if I flashed some muscle, or stayed out on the balcony long enough, you'd notice me and come out again if you were interested. I didn't think it had worked until I caught you with those binoculars –”

“This needs to stop!” Bakura shouted.

All three men looked to Bakura, wary and Yuugi sighed. Bakura glared at him.

“First of all,” he said, “how could you abuse my gift like that?!”

“It wasn't like you put much thought into it,” Yuugi retorted, “you said it was for _birdwatching,_ for crying out loud!”

“Yeah, so!” Bakura snapped, nonplussed.

“Do you not remember that I don't _like_ birds, Bakura?” Yuugi sighed.

“That's why I got you those binoculars,” Bakura said, “so you wouldn't have to get up close and personal with them. I'm not an idiot. I know they frighten you.” Bakura huffed and he looked deeply wronged by the knowledge that his gift has been abused in such a way. “I thought that if you did some birdwatching, they would scare you less.”

The room was silent then and Yuugi stared at Bakura before his brow creased and his bottom lip trembled.

“Oh, my god, Bakura,” Yuugi said and his eyes were watery, “that's so sweet.”

“Yeah well.” Bakura shrugged and he looked extremely uncomfortable as he was faced with Yuugi's swell of emotion. He refused to look Yuugi in the eyes and he shifted in his chair. Without warning, Yuugi hugged him and Bakura looked to Ryou in panic, but Ryou was smiling. Yuugi sniffed and Bakura felt his face drain of color. “Are you _crying?”_ he asked, alarmed.

“No,” Yuugi denied, but he squeezed Bakura hard, “you're a good friend, Bakura. I'm sorry I doubted you.”

“That'll teach ya, pipsqueak,” Bakura mumbled and Yuugi laughed as he moved away.

“But I'm still going out with Atemu,” he said and Bakura scowled at him.

“We're no longer friends,” he growled and Yuugi only smiled at him.

“Of course,” Yuugi replied with a patronizing pat to his shoulder, “whatever you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter coming soon (maybe). Let me know what you thought of this one. (Long rants about how much you like my writing/the characters/the dumb plot are more than welcome.)


	3. Life Is A Carnival (With You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atemu and Yuugi start their date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter ran about 7,000+ words, so I split it into two. Please enjoy.

“So,” Atemu said as Yuugi closed the door to his apartment, “that was … _interesting.”_ He sheepishly shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head to the side with a wry smile for lack of a better comment.

Laughing, Yuugi nodded, understanding. He waved a hand in the direction of the hall and he began to walk, leading Atemu away from the door and to the elevator.

“Bakura,” Yuugi said, “is … well, he's an asshole, but once you get to know him, you'll see that he's a really good guy.” For a moment, he looked thoughtful. Beside him, Atemu raised an eyebrow and Yuugi smiled. With a lighthearted shrug, he simply said, “He means well.”

“Yeah,” Atemu said with a sigh, “but I have a feeling that Bakura has no intention of letting me get to know him.” He looked to Yuugi for confirmation of his thoughts and Yuugi pursed his lips with a slight hint of denial before finally nodding his assent.

“You're right,” Yuugi said with a laugh, “but you just leave that to me.” He winked conspiratorially and nudged Atemu with his elbow. A foreboding chill raced down Atemu's spine and he tensed minutely.

“You're going to make him get to know me, aren't you?” Atemu asked warily and Yuugi grinned at him.

“Of course I am!” he chirped, “it's like that Spice Girls song” – and Yuugi sang – “'if you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends'.” He laughed again.

“Your lover, huh?” Atemu asked, grinning as he nudged Yuugi in the side and Yuugi blushed, glaring halfheartedly at him in return.

“You don't get to tease me, Mr. I-Showed-Off-My-Illegal-Body-To-Get-You-To-Notice-Me,” Yuugi said, trying to sound stern, even as he fought the smile from his face. They arrived at the elevator and Yuugi pressed the button to summon the ancient contraption. When he looked back to Atemu, the man was staring at him with mock appall.

“Illegal?” Atemu replied with a bark of laughter as the elevator doors opened. They entered the box, both giggling. “I assure you, little one, all of this is legal.” Atemu motioned to himself and Yuugi scoffed.

“'Little one'?” Yuugi asked, eyes shining with amusement, “I'm taller than you!”

“I'm older,” Atemu replied with a smirk, and Yuugi crossed his arms as the doors of the elevator closed.

“Uh-huh,” Yuugi said, “sure.” He let silence fall for a moment before he cleared his throat and shyly said, “By the way, I like your glasses.”

A marvelous blush spread onto Atemu's cheeks and a pleased smile turned his lips up at the edges, two dimples flashing at Yuugi.

“You do?” Atemu asked timidly before laughing awkwardly, “I usually use contacts, but I was kind of excited to come over, so I dropped one and accidentally stepped on it.”

“Seriously?” Yuugi asked him, his heart skipping a beat at the embarrassed smile on Atemu's face.

“Yeah,” Atemu admitted shamefully and Yuugi grinned at him, pleased as punch.

“That's...” Yuugi let the sentence die and stepped closer to Atemu, his body buzzing with giddiness. Their shoulders brushed and a warm feeling spread from Yuugi's cheeks to his ears. His pulse was racing and his blood was humming with exhilaration. “Sweet,” Yuugi mumbled and he looked away. Beside him, Atemu smiled.

* * *

“The carnival is in town?” Yuugi said aloud as they drove by a large field. After Atemu had changed his shirt to a salmon pink – an iffy choice in Yuugi's opinion – and washed his face, they had gotten into his car and driven off in the direction of the restaurant. On the way there, they passed a usually empty field, but today, the field was humming with the mechanical life of roller coasters and brilliantly illuminated carnival games. Yuugi was tempted to lower the window to catch a whiff of popcorn, cotton candy, and deep-fried foods. He could see the Ferris wheel, large and imposing at the back, and his stomach flipped with the desire to go. There was a second of disappointment before Atemu slowed his speed and made a right turn onto the dirt road leading further into the field. Excitement soaring, Yuugi whipped his head around to stare at him. “I thought you said we'd be doing dinner?” he said breathlessly.

“This seems more fun,” Atemu replied, “anyway, we can do a restaurant any day – the fair is only in town for a while … unless you don't want to?” He turned a questioning look to Yuugi as he slowed the car even more.

“I feel overdressed,” Yuugi mumbled as he ran a hand down the front of his dress shirt and Atemu stopped the car right before they reached the booth to pay the parking fee. “But let's do it,” Yuugi quickly added, leaping at the chance. With the delighted smile Atemu gifted him, Yuugi would have gladly donned a fitted tuxedo for the carnival. Yuugi smiled in return, his stomach flipping as though he were already on one of the roller coasters he could not wait to ride, and Atemu drove on.

Atemu was a gentleman, opening his door and holding out his arm, which Yuugi eagerly took after realizing he was not being ironic. It was a somewhat cheesy gesture, but Yuugi's heart was racing and his stomach squirming happily. He did not mind it a bit. They paid – Atemu insisted on buying bracelets instead of tickets, echoing Yuugi's yearnings to ride every roller coaster as many times as they wished. They started with the Ring of Fire, an upright, circular track that sent them rushing round before dangling them upside down at the very top. When Yuugi glanced to the side to see how Atemu was fairing, he could only see Atemu grinning as he whooped and hollered, gripping his glasses with one hand and the harness buckling him down with the other.

When they were on level ground once more, Yuugi took one look at Atemu before he burst into a fit of giggles. Atemu's fluffy hair, previously tamed into something semi-flat, was now sticking up every which way like needles on a porcupine. Atemu selfconsciously felt his hair and he laughed too, before pointing at Yuugi's own. With a blush, Yuugi found that his hair was no better off. However, he had no time to feel embarrassed, because Atemu was taking his hand with a winsome grin and pointing to the next roller coaster, a simple one called The Dragon that had many curves.

“C'mon,” Atemu said and Yuugi gladly went with him. His stomach flipped and his nerves buzzed with Atemu's tender hold. They ran over together, the laughter tumbling out of their smiling mouths. For Yuugi, he was no longer twenty-two. It was like he was a kid again, ten years old and surrounded by the smell of the carnival and the screaming of children on the coasters. But when they climbed into their car and Atemu placed his hand over Yuugi's, he felt fourteen, in the bewildering, overpowering throes of puberty, when he realized men could be so much more than friends. His heart somersaulted in his chest and his stomach filled with something warm and sweet. Atemu directed another handsome smile at him as the carnie pulled down the locking mechanism over their laps. He entwined their fingers together and Yuugi felt the train start up the track, clicking along at a steady pace, unlike his heart, which was threatening to shoot out of his chest.

“Is this okay?” Atemu asked him and Yuugi readily nodded. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon, casting oranges, reds and purples across the sky. Night was rolling in and the car continued to climb. Yuugi meant to look around as they reached the top, take in the view and marvel at the world, but his eyes fell upon Atemu and he found himself grinning unwittingly, distracted by the rays caught in Atemu's scarlet and golden hair. In the back of his mind, Yuugi thought it was better than looking at any sunset. Atemu turned to him then, and the last of the sun's rays lit up his violet-red irises, causing them to glow magnificently. With a quiet inhale, Yuugi forgot how to breathe. “What?” Atemu asked, but before Yuugi could even think of answering, they dropped out of the sky. As the car dove down the track, Yuugi's hand squeezed Atemu's, holding on tight as they both yelled their way down.

Before long, they had taken a ride on every roller coaster two times over and were walking down the line of food stands, their stomachs rumbling with hunger. Night had completely fallen, but the carnival was lit up completely by games, food stands, rides, and warm incandescent lights. Atemu held Yuugi's hand, had been for a while. He had made no other move to get close to Yuugi, had not even tried to kiss him. But Yuugi found himself grateful. As much as he liked Atemu and desired to kiss him – and, boy, did he – Yuugi did not want to rush things. Regardless, even the simple act of holding hands brought a shy blush to Yuugi's cheeks. He could not recall the last time he had held someone's hand like this. He severely doubted it had ever felt this way. There was a constant flutter in his stomach that had nothing to do with his hunger, a skip in his heartbeat with every shift of Atemu's fingers, and a crooning warmth that ran through his veins.

“What's funnel cake?” Atemu suddenly asked and Yuugi looked around to see that they had paused next to a stand and Atemu was gazing at the menu with interest. Recalling the question, Yuugi gave a start and stared at Atemu with surprise.

“You've never had funnel cake?” he asked and Atemu turned his gaze onto him, shaking his head in a negative. For a moment, Yuugi stared at him before he grinned and pulled him into the line that was thankfully short. “Then let's get you some funnel cake!” he said excitedly, “My treat.” Before Atemu could protest, Yuugi held up a finger and winked. “I'll buy dessert, and you can get dinner.”

“Sounds fair,” Atemu said, “deal.”

As they got closer to the front of the line, Yuugi noticed the novelty cups on display. There were different kinds, but the one that called Yuugi's attention was the one in the shape of a green alien. It had a black top and a hard translucent straw with a black cap. It was a cheesy novelty item, worth nothing, and would undoubtedly end up in one of Yuugi's cabinets, never to be seen again. He remembered being eight years old, brought to the carnival by his parents. He had just left the haunted house in tears with his shamefaced father, terrified and crying. His mother, after berating his father, had taken him and bought the very same alien cup, filled with lemonade and something else that had made the liquid light up in different colors. Yuugi had instantly stopped crying, fascinated with the light show, monsters and ghouls forgotten. The lemonade had been good too.

Smiling softly, the nostalgia in Yuugi's heart grew and he was resolved to have it. When it was their turn to order, Yuugi stepped back, looking to Atemu. Taking the hint, Atemu went first.

“Any preferences?” he asked, and only when Yuugi shook his head, did Atemu speak to the smiling woman. “Two pizza slices, a chili dog, and two cokes in those neat alien cups you have there, please.” Atemu pointed to the novelty bottles on display in the window and Yuugi's heart skipped a beat, his stomach squirming happily. He looked up at Atemu, surprised and more than pleased. “I noticed you staring at them,” Atemu said with a nervous chuckle and Yuugi did not fight the smile that blossomed across his lips.

“You didn't have to do that,” Yuugi said and Atemu shrugged. A sheepish grin pulled at his mouth and he ran a nervous hand through his red hair.

“It's worth it to see you smile like that,” Atemu said softly and Yuugi felt his mouth part in awe as Atemu let go of his hand to pull out his wallet. For a moment, Yuugi stared, watching Atemu as he paid, his perfect smile as he thanked the woman. There was no doubt in Yuugi's mind – he was smitten with Atemu.

“Thank you,” was all he could say. His brain had short-circuited, unable to process the sheer amount of giddiness Atemu had elicited with his words.

“You're next, Yuugi,” Atemu said, his arms laden with food, and Yuugi forced himself back to Earth, speaking through the heart stuck in his throat.

“Hi,” Yuugi said, “I'd like two funnel cakes, à la mode, and two of those cotton candy containers” – he looked at Atemu – “flavor?” Atemu shook his head and Yuugi turned back to the woman. “The mixed ones, please and thank you.”

* * *

“So what exactly is this?” Atemu asked as he poked the confectionary heart attack on his paper plate. A web of deep-fried batter had been drowned in powdered sugar, strawberries, a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, a heaping of whipped cream, and tons of drizzled chocolate syrup. It was an intimidating treat and Atemu swore his perfect glutes were crying. He could almost feel a pimple forming on his cheek just by looking at it. It would take ages to work off this treat – if it did not kill him first. They were sitting side by side at a round picnic table, the umbrella at the center closed. Their bodies were turned halfway to each other, their knees touching. Around them were other carnival goers, chatting and laughing, eating their own meals and resting their tired feet.

“Hmm,” Yuugi hummed thoughtfully at his side, “maybe I should have started you off with a basic funnel cake.” He smiled, bashful and contrite. “Sorry, Atemu,” he said, “you really don't have to eat it –”

“No,” Atemu said quickly, “I'll eat it!” He then stabbed the mountain of sugar with his spork and carved out a sizable bite, stuffing it into his mouth before Yuugi could say anything else. Yuugi watched him with wide eyes and Atemu prepared to smile, to praise the treat, when his taste buds finally seemed to register what he had in his mouth. If asked, he would never admit it, but he moaned in delight. “That's amazing,” he said as soon as he had swallowed and he almost missed the red in Yuugi's cheeks. When he noticed, however, he flushed in embarrassment and Yuugi chuckled.

“Well,” Yuugi said with a cheeky smile, “sounds like you like it.”

“I like you more,” Atemu returned easily, his cheeks still pink. He leaned towards Yuugi, waggling his thick eyebrows with an equally teasing grin on his face.

Heart thudding in his chest, Yuugi blushed and instantly took Atemu's spork from his hand. He quickly scooped up another helping and stuffed it into Atemu's mouth before returning to his own dessert. Atemu chortled through his food, amused and ecstatic as he chewed.

“So what do you do for a living?” Yuugi asked.

“Ah, time for twenty questions, is it?” Atemu said amusedly and he hummed, “Well, I'm actually a vet. I work for the shelter on Main. You?”

 _Oh, my god, an animal lover?_ Yuugi thought giddily, _He's so perfect._ His heart leapt at the thought of Atemu in a white coat and glasses, petting a puppy with one hand and holding a kitten in the other. He swooned a little at his mental image and he smiled.

“I'm in my last year of college, actually,” Yuugi said, “I'm going to be a teacher. Why did you choose to be a veterinarian?” As he waited for Atemu's answer, he dug into his funnel cake, spearing a strawberry with his spork.

“I always enjoyed being with animals,” Atemu shrugged, scooping up a sporkful of whipped cream and popping it into his mouth. A smidge of it smeared on the edge of his lip and Yuugi reached up, swiping at it with his thumb unthinkingly. Stilling, Yuugi stared at his thumb and Atemu smiled at him. “Thanks,” he said and Yuugi relaxed, but a blush stole across the bridge of his nose anyway. “My family has a ranch we'd visit every summer.

“I had this horse named Barley,” he continued, handing Yuugi a napkin to wipe his thumb, “she's this brown Mustang with big brown eyes … and she got sick.” Yuugi's spork stalled on its way to his mouth, hanging there. “My parents called the vet, Mana,” Atemu said, “who's actually my aunt – but when she saved her” – Atemu's eyes lit up and Yuugi's stomach squirmed, a feeling he was becoming rather familiar with the longer he spent with Atemu – “well, I was sold. There was no other choice for me.”

“Wow,” Yuugi breathed, and he tried hard not to imagine Atemu riding a horse, bare-chested with jeans and cowboy boots.

“She's old now,” Atemu said wistfully, “but Barley's still gorgeous.”

 _You're gorgeous,_ Yuugi thought and Atemu continued talking.

“Why'd you choose to be a teacher?” Atemu asked, “What grade level will you teach?”

Opening his mouth to answer, Yuugi suddenly hesitated. He felt nervous then, as though his words were threatening to spill out of his lips. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat, pushing the feeling down.

“I was thinking elementary. Possibly kinder through third because, well, I like kids,” Yuugi said, cheeks turning pink, “I used to babysit a lot when I was a teenager and kids are just _great,_ you know?” He looked to Atemu, shrugging his shoulders and feeling rather lame. It was then that it happened. Word vomit, and a lot of it. “They're small and easy to understand. Sometimes they say the weirdest things and sometimes they drive you crazy, but they're so _precious._ They're like tiny drunk people and they say exactly what they mean. I mean, I'm not saying I want kids – I mean I _want_ kids, sure, of course I want kids. At least three, who doesn't?” Yuugi lifted his hands in bewilderment and Atemu raised his eyebrows at him. He made to comment, but Yuugi was not done yet. “Not that I want them right now – I just mean that eventually I'll want kids.

“Maybe a year from now – maybe five,” Yuugi continued to babble, “but right now I'm good with other people's kids, you know?” Again, Atemu tried to comment, but Yuugi barreled on, unstoppable. “I'm just saying that I want kids for sure,” he said, “though I wouldn't mind them right now. But that wouldn't be a good idea because I'm still in school and I'm not even married and it'll be hard to raise a kid alone when I haven't even gotten my dream job and I need to be financially stable to support a child –”

“Yuugi,” Atemu finally interrupted and Yuugi felt his entire face heat when Atemu's hands went up in a calming motion, his face alarmed, _“breathe.”_ And Yuugi did breathe, but he also covered his face with his hands, mortified.

“I have an idea,” Yuugi mumbled, “I'm going to cover my face for a little bit and you can use this time to run far away. I won't blame you. I'll be fine.” He felt the seat beneath him shift and Atemu's knee pulled away from his own. Despite his reassurances, Yuugi's heart sank. He waited for a long moment, regulating his breathing and collecting himself together before he dared to lower his hands and open his eyes.

Atemu was still there, eating funnel cake. He glanced at Yuugi, understanding written all over his face.

“Feel better?” Atemu asked gently and Yuugi's insides turned to mush. He stared dumbly, disbelieving and he nodded absently. “Good,” Atemu said with a small smile, “I think it's really cool that you like kids so much – means you'll be passionate about your job – and kids are the future, so it's good that they'll have someone like you.”

“You're still here,” Yuugi said numbly.

“Did you really expect me to just leave?” Atemu asked him and he laughed when Yuugi nodded. “This is a great date,” Atemu said jovially, “I've never had so much fun.”

“You're serious,” Yuugi said with a frown and Atemu nodded.

“Yuugi, you just got a little nervous – it's fine,” he said gently, “I get it.” Holding up two fingers, he continued. “Anyway, one of two things will happen. Either this doesn't work out, or we end up married in the future.” He grinned. “It's nice to know that you'll want kids,” he said, “me too.” And it was as simple as that.

Yuugi felt his gut unclench from the knot it had formed and he breathed easy, relieved that he had not ruined his date. They continued to eat and talk, Yuugi's nerves almost nonexistent. When they finished their meals, Atemu stood up and held out his hand.

“C'mon,” he said with a grin, “I want to win you a bigass teddy bear.”

Taking his hand, Yuugi smirked.

“I'll win you _two,”_ he replied and Atemu's wine-colored eyes sparkled with the challenge.

“You're so on,” Atemu said and together, they tossed their garbage into the bin. Holding hands, they made their way to the game booths with their alien cups and cotton candy tucked into the crooks of their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is finished, I assure you all. There's just going to be one more chapter because I could really not edit 7000+ words in one go. Forgive me, but my attention span would just not allow it and doing all of this by phone? Excuse me, but, um, _no._ It's just not gonna happen.
> 
> Also, I wish I could draw well so I could draw Atemu in that salmon shirt with his red hair. Then I'd just, well, laugh at him because it's such a terrible decision and Yuugi was too nice to make fun of him for it.
> 
> Fourth chapter will be uploaded after I update [TA(Ch17)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3874354) and [MIL(Ch15)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4161750). So until next time, _adiós_.


	4. Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atemu and Yuugi go on with their date, find some trouble, then go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's finally the end and I'm done with this fic. Completely. No new chapters. BYE-BYE. See ya in another fic.

Atemu and Yuugi stopped at the first booth they saw, a test of aim that comprised of knocking down three stacked bottles with a baseball. Yuugi went first, setting down his money and receiving a small basket with three baseballs inside. Beside him, Atemu gave him two thumbs up and Yuugi smiled. Taking up ball number one, Yuugi threw it and missed horribly. Flinching, Yuugi glanced at Atemu as he picked up the next ball, but Atemu only smiled encouragingly. Relieved, Yuugi turned back to the game. The next ball barely grazed the bottle and the third only managed to knock off the top one.

“It's harder than it looks,” Yuugi said as he paid for another round. The carnie handed him another three baseballs in a basket and Yuugi tossed his first ball, knocking the top bottle off. Grinning, he tossed the next and struck another bottle down. The third baseball missed, but he had won a prize. Between a small plush frog, rabbit, and alien, Yuugi picked the rabbit. He immediately held out the yellow bunny to Atemu, shaking it slightly so its long ears flopped happily. “It's not a teddy bear,” Yuugi said with a wry smile, “but we're getting there.” Atemu took the rabbit and chuckled, setting it down next to their drinks and candy as he pulled out his wallet to lay down his own cash with a grin.

“It's rigged,” Atemu whispered so the man tending the booth would not hear and Yuugi turned a shocked look to Atemu.

“You _lie,”_ Yuugi whispered back as Atemu took up his first baseball, weighing it in his hand. Shaking his head, Atemu gave him a crooked smile. “It's really rigged?” Yuugi asked him, “How?”

“Well,” Atemu said, rolling his shoulder as he turned to the side, away from Yuugi, “glue or sometimes a bit of duct tape keeps them in place.” He narrowed his eyes, concentrating and Yuugi thought he looked strikingly like a pitcher at his mound, studying the batter at home base. “You just gotta hit them hard enough,” he said, taking a breath. With a fancy whirl, Atemu threw the ball and knocked the top bottle down with barely a waver from the other two. He jabbed a thumb at them. “See?” he said and Yuugi nodded, brow furrowed. The second ball hit smack dab between the two that remained, but only knocked off a second. The third missed and Atemu chose a blue frog with black spots as his prize. Amused, he held it out to Yuugi who embraced it with a smile. “I'll get you a teddy bear next,” Atemu said and Yuugi nodded in delight.

“Sure,” Yuugi said, “but let's try another booth.” They gathered their cups, cotton candy, and plush animals, making their way to the next booth. When they paused, Yuugi turned a curious look to Atemu. “Were you ever in baseball?”

“Varsity team in high school,” Atemu said with a grin, “that obvious, huh?”

“Just a little,” Yuugi teased, holding up a hand with his forefinger and thumb in a pinch, and Atemu laughed.

On they went from booth to booth, tossing rings onto bottles, aiming streams of water into clown faces, and shooting rifles, until they had won two large bears each with a few smaller animals. Then they were walking around, hands still clasped despite the amount of animals and items squeezed into their other arms. Having had their fill of fun, they watched other carnival goers, neither feeling quite ready to leave. It was then that a child's cries reached their ears and Yuugi stopped, eyes searching about for the source. He soon spotted the small girl, standing next to the gun gallery with two blonde pigtails, a pair of round glasses, and watery blue eyes. She wore a cobalt-blue skirt with a white, frilly top, a red handkerchief tied at her neck. Before her was a crouched man with a black t-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. He was trying to take her hand, but she was backing away, terrified. Heart clenching, Yuugi opened his mouth to alert Atemu, when Atemu stepped forward.

“Hey!” Atemu yelled and the man next to the girl darted up, holding his hands up in surrender before darting away. Atemu made to give chase, but Yuugi grabbed his arm before he could so much as take a step and pointed to the still-crying girl. “Right,” Atemu said with a scowl in the direction of the suspicious man and Yuugi approached, pausing a little ways away to not startle the girl.

“Hey, you okay?” Yuugi called softly and she looked up at him, rubbing her wet eyes behind her glasses. Shaking her head, she sniffed and Yuugi walked closer, crouching down beside her to meet her at eye level. Behind him, Atemu remained standing.

“I c-can't find my grandpa,” she whimpered, trying to stifle her sobs, “and that man said he knew my grandpa, but he didn't even know my grandpa's name!”

“He's gone now,” Yuugi said, glancing around carefully, “don't worry about him.” The little girl nodded, sniffling. “About your grandpa,” Yuugi said softly, “he got himself lost, did he?” He smiled and the girl nodded furiously, face pinched. “My name is Yuugi,” he said and motioned to Atemu, “and this is Atemu. What's your name?”

“Rebecca,” she replied, wiping her nose noisily.

“Would you like some help finding your grandpa, Rebecca?” Yuugi asked her and Rebecca nodded, though her tears began anew.

“I'm n-never go-going to find my g-g-gran-pa,” she sobbed and Atemu made a sympathetic sound in his throat, moving closer.

“I'm sure we'll find him in no time,” Atemu said cheerfully and she looked up at him with a tearful glare.

“No, we _won't!”_ she snapped and Atemu stepped back, alarmed. Beside him, Yuugi did not even flinch at her outburst.

“Rebecca?” Yuugi said gently, regaining her attention, “What's your grandpa's name?”

“Arthur Hopkins,” she answered readily and Yuugi nodded.

“Do you remember what he was wearing?” Yuugi questioned and Rebecca nodded.

“A white suit and a red bow tie,” she said, “grandpa always wears suits and bow ties … he has a mustache too.”

“Good,” Yuugi said and he hesitated when her eyes watered even more. “Rebecca,” he said, “would you like a plushie?” He showed her the ones in his arm and her eyes widened before a happy smile stole across her face. She pointed to a medium-sized coffee-brown bear with a sky-blue shirt and forest-green overalls.

“Can I have this one?” she mumbled and Yuugi nodded.

“Of course,” he said. Yuugi offered it to her and she timidly took it, hugging it to her chest securely. When she looked back up at him, her tears had ceased and Yuugi felt his heart lighten with relief. “Now let's go look for your grandpa, okay?” he said and she nodded, taking his hand.

“Would you like to hold my hand too?” Atemu asked her sweetly and she frowned at him.

“No,” she said stiffly and Atemu balked in surprise.

He met Yuugi's eyes with uncertainty, searching for some type of guidance, but Yuugi only shrugged and smiled, amused. Wry smile pulling at his lips, Atemu shook his head, befuddled.

“I'll alert security about that weirdo,” Atemu said to Yuugi and Yuugi nodded.

“You're going to tell security about yourself?” Rebecca asked oh-so-innocently and Yuugi snorted as Atemu gaped at her in shock and offense.

“I-I'm not a weirdo!” Atemu objected and she shrugged at him, tugging on Yuugi's hand. She pulled him along, away from Atemu and uncaring.

“Bye, weirdo,” she said and Yuugi could not help it. He laughed outright, tossing Atemu an apologetic look as they began to leave. In return, Atemu stared at Rebecca, flabbergasted.

“I'm just gonna walk around and see if her grandfather is close by,” Yuugi called, mouthing a “sorry” right after, and Atemu nodded, shrugging it off as he walked in the other direction.

* * *

After ten minutes, it was obvious to Yuugi that Rebecca's grandfather was not near by at all. They had walked the area, conversing with passerby and keeping their eyes out for Rebecca's grandfather. Yet the man was nowhere to be seen and Yuugi was growing concerned, his chest tight with apprehension. Beside him, Rebecca was growing anxious. Her hand fidgeted in his own and her tears were beginning to well up in her eyes, but she stubbornly chewed on her lip and continued walking with Yuugi, refusing to break down. As Yuugi asked yet another person if they had seen Arthur Hopkins, her sniffles began and he felt his heart break for her. An idea struck him then and he breathed, calming his nerves.

“Okay,” he said, bringing them to a stop and crouching before her, “I bet I know where your grandpa is.”

“Y-you do?” she asked, bright blue eyes overflowing as she gazed at him.

“He's not here, right?” Yuugi said and she nodded, “So if I were him and I had lost my granddaughter, I would be checking with security!” He smiled and her eyes widened before she nodded quickly. “Good, so we'll check there and –” Movement caught his eyes then and he looked looked up, surprised to see Atemu waving at him from several yards away, a wide smile on his lips. Yuugi's eyes went from him to the man standing next to him and he grinned. “We don't have to go anywhere,” Yuugi said and Rebecca tilted her head in confusion, “because your grandpa is right behind you!”

Instantly, Rebecca whipped around, eyes searching before she squealed in delight and ran up to a thin, elderly man with a cream-colored suit and a crimson-red bow tie. The man embraced her at once and beside him, Atemu beamed at Yuugi. Yuugi smiled back, proud and falling a little more in love as he walked over, the butterflies in his stomach taking erratic flight.

“Found him,” Atemu said as Yuugi neared and Yuugi nodded.

“You did,” he replied.

“Thank you both so much!” said Arthur, standing straight and looking at them with deepest gratitude, “How can I ever repay you for finding my little Becky?”

“Oh, please,” Atemu said, shaking his head, “we couldn't leave her alone. We're just happy she's with you now.” And Yuugi's heart melted.

“Grandpa, I wanna go home,” Rebecca said and Arthur nodded.

“Of course, sweetheart,” he said, “we've both had enough excitement for one day.” He looked to Atemu and Yuugi and held out his hand. “Thank you so much,” he said and Yuugi shook his hand first, followed closely by Atemu. It was not much longer after that, that Rebecca and Arthur departed. But before Rebecca could even take a step, she rushed to Atemu, quickly hugging his legs before hugging Yuugi next and running back to her grandfather.

The charmed smile that graced Atemu's lips when Rebecca hugged him made Yuugi's heart leap in his chest and his insides turn to mush.

 _Thank you, Bakura,_ he thought.

“Uh, Yuugi?” said Atemu and Yuugi shook himself back into the present to see Atemu's wary gaze. His stomach churned with dread.

 _Did I say something out loud?_ Yuugi thought.

“Yeah?” he asked, heart thudding in his chest in panic.

“Bakura's here,” Atemu said.

“What?” Yuugi said, distracted.

“Bakura is here,” Atemu repeated, “I can see him peeking out behind the photo wagon.”

It was then that Yuugi realized Atemu was not looking at him, but somewhere beyond him. He turned quickly, just in time to see a head of white hair and a pair of binoculars pull out of sight. Disbelief and indignation rose in Yuugi's throat and he let out an incredulous gasp.

“Bakura!” he shouted and Atemu sighed.

“Has he really been following us?” Atemu mused, “Is he going to come along on all our dates?” But Yuugi was already stomping his way over, prepared to really let his best friend have it. “Wait, Yuugi!” Suddenly, Atemu grabbed his hand and Yuugi paused, turning to look at him in confusion. “I've got a better idea,” Atemu said, “let's ignore him – oh, Ryou's here too?”

“Ryou?” Yuugi cried, expression filled with betrayal. He turned to see Ryou peeking out from behind the photo wagon and he gasped. “Ryou!” he shouted indignantly and Ryou hesitated at the sight of him before pulling back, “Oh, now I'm going to kill them both.” He started off in their direction and Atemu followed with a bemused smile. “Bakura – I'm not surprised,” Yuugi muttered under his breath, “but _Ryou?_ Oh, he's gonna get it.”

“Is this normal?” Atemu asked idly, “I'd like some warning if they're going to be following us around everywhere.”

“Oh, don't worry,” Yuugi said darkly, “they won't be alive long enough to keep following us.”

“Need help burying the bodies?” Atemu said seriously, “We can use my dad's ranch. We've got a couple hundred-thousand acres of land, I'm sure we'll find the perfect burial spot somewhere out there.” Abruptly, Yuugi laughed and Atemu's serious demeanor broke, a grin spreading onto his lips. “You can meet Barley.”

Yuugi stopped then and turned to Atemu, eyes filled with amusement.

“Stop making me laugh,” Yuugi reprimanded, “you're making me want to go easy on them.”

“Want me to make you mad?” Atemu asked playfully, “Remember, your best friend and his boyfriend are spying on us and are almost definitely using your binoculars to do it.”

“You're the devil's advocate, aren't you?” Yuugi accused with a laugh and Atemu shrugged innocently, but the smirk on his face told Yuugi all he needed to know. “Okay,” Yuugi said, taking a breath and shrugging off his irritation, “forget them. Let's go where they can't follow.” At Atemu's raised eyebrow, Yuugi took his hand, stepping towards him and away from his previous target. “Hurry,” Yuugi said, “before they realize I'm not coming over to yell at them.” He led Atemu further into the carnival, to the very back. When Atemu realized where they were going, he squeezed Yuugi's hand, an amused smile pulling at his lips.

“For a second, I thought you meant we should go back to my place,” he admitted and Yuugi turned a cheeky smile onto him, winking.

“We can do that too,” Yuugi replied, “after this.” They got into the line and Atemu's eyebrows almost lifted clean off his forehead, surprised and hopeful.

“You want to come back to my place?” Atemu asked and Yuugi turned shining eyes onto him.

“Is that an invitation or a question?” he countered.

“...Both,” Atemu said after a second of thought.

“Tell me you have an Xbox and I'm yours,” Yuugi said and Atemu grinned.

“Better,” Atemu said, leaning in to whisper as if his words were a secret, “I have a PS4 and an _arsenal_ of games.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Yuugi laughed.

 _God, tell me he's a fun gamer,_ Yuugi thought giddily.

“Take me now,” Yuugi joked, pretending to swoon. The corners of Atemu's eyes creased in joy, and he squeezed Yuugi's hand gently. With a soft smile, Yuugi squeezed back. Their turn to board came and the carnie kindly took their things, promising to watch over them. They climbed into the seat and the woman closed their gate, locking it in place. Once settled, Atemu and Yuugi placed their hands upon topmost rod, gripping the bar.

“You know,” Atemu said thoughtfully as their carriage shifted, moving back and up. It halted after a moment to permit more passengers. “I've never ridden a Ferris Wheel before.” He raised his eyes, scanning their circular ride and glancing around, fascinated.

“Really?” Yuugi said, and Atemu stopped moving, turning to look at him with his gorgeous violet-red eyes, “Why not?”

“I don't actually know,” Atemu said with a frown, “just never got around to it, I suppose.” His hand slid along the bar, trailing over Yuugi's and settling there like it was the most natural thing in the world. Given the number of times Atemu had taken his hand that evening, it should have been, but Yuugi's heart skipped a beat as if it were the very first time and his stomach flipped. Meeting Atemu's gaze, he smiled bashfully. All of a sudden, the wheel moved again and they were alone, just the two of them. Any thought of Bakura and Ryou was left behind on the ground. “I'm happy my first time is with you,” Atemu said and Yuugi felt goosebumps break out on his skin, his entire body buzzing.

“Yeah?” Yuugi said and Atemu nodded, the skin of his cheeks darkening in embarrassment. The wheel moved again, clanking along and lifting them further from the ground.

“Yeah,” Atemu said sincerely, “I've had so much fun with you today. It's been great.”

“Me too,” Yuugi said, “I've had more fun that I can remember.” The carriage moved a few more times in the silence that followed, and they arrived at the top of the wheel. The evening was perfect, the stars shining above them, the night air sweet in their lungs, and their hearts thudding in their chests. Atemu's face was rather close, his lips plump and perfect, and Yuugi shifted closer. There was a smile on Atemu's mouth and a warmth in his gaze. Their shoulders brushed together and Yuugi felt his cheeks burn without reason. Atemu was leaning and Yuugi could count every lash of his eyelids. He was unbelievably close and Yuugi's eyes began to shut.

 _Almost, almost,_ Yuugi thought, and the ride jerked as it began, startling them both into moving away. The ride went smoothly, but Yuugi had a lump in his throat in the shape of his heart.

* * *

“This isn't going to work out,” Atemu said resolutely, “if you can't love Vaas Montenegro, I can't be seen with you.”

“This coming from the guy who can't appreciate Handsome Jack!” Yuugi retorted.

They were coming off the elevator and it was two in the morning. Yuugi and Atemu were ending the night as Atemu had suddenly recalled that he had to work in six hours. But instead of seeing Yuugi out, he had adamantly insisted on walking Yuugi to his apartment, despite its close location in the building across the street. Slowly, they were making their way down the hall to Yuugi's door, arguing playfully with Atemu holding Yuugi's stuffed animals in his arms.

“Handsome Jack is a joke,” Atemu snorted and Yuugi gasped, hand clutching at his chest. He turned around, stopping at his door and fixing Atemu with an incredulous look.

“That's it,” he said, “I can't date you.”

“Handsome Jack is deluded,” Atemu argued.

“Vaas is a psychopath,” Yuugi shot back.

“At least he's honest about it,” Atemu said with a shrug and Yuugi rolled his eyes. Laughing, Atemu shook his head. “Well, really,” Atemu said, “if you had to choose someone to be stuck with, you choose –”

“Atemu,” Yuugi interrupted with a raised eyebrow, “if we're ever in a situation where we're stuck with Vaas or Jack? I think we'd have bigger problems than who's a better choice.”

“Good point,” Atemu said, ceasing the debate, “in that case, I'll just stick with you.” He smiled then and Yuugi blushed. “We make a good team.”

“We argued the whole time!” Yuugi laughed.

“But when we made choices, it was together,” Atemu pointed out and Yuugi felt his mouth part in understanding. He nodded.

“Good point,” he said, echoing Atemu's phrase, and Atemu smiled gently. Clearing his throat, Yuugi glanced at his door and back to Atemu, shifting on his feet. “So this is me,” he said shyly and Atemu reached up a hand, brushing the bangs from his face as he nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, “I had fun tonight.”

“Me too,” Yuugi agreed.

“Next Saturday?” Atemu questioned, “Dinner?”

“Sure,” Yuugi said with a small smile.

“Great,” Atemu said, eyes shining, “I can't wait.”

The butterflies in Yuugi's stomach fluttered around, still going strong despite the workout they had done the entire evening. He reluctantly took out his keys from his pocket, fiddling with them and unwilling to say goodnight. His eyes lifted to meet Atemu's and he looked away, embarrassed.

“You should probably get going,” Yuugi said softly, “you have work in six hours.”

“Yeah,” Atemu assented with a slight sigh, “but … before I go.” Yuugi looked at him and Atemu hesitated, licking his lips anxiously. “Uh, here,” he said. Abruptly he held out Yuugi's things and Yuugi took them quickly, laughing nervously. Once he held the prizes Atemu had won for him within his grasp, Atemu coughed behind his hand, clearing his throat. “I was wondering,” he said, gaze restlessly wandering around the hall, “if maybe...”

“Yes?” Yuugi prompted and Atemu steeled his resolve, meeting Yuugi's eyes openly.

“Could I kiss you goodnight?” he asked, “If that's okay.”

“Yes,” Yuugi readily agreed and Atemu smiled, relieved as he leaned in. Immediately, Yuugi's heart leapt into his throat and he waited, expectant. Atemu was looking at him carefully, waiting for him to change his mind. He moved closer and Yuugi felt his insides twist and squirm, his breath caught beneath his heart. Then he pushed forward and his lips were against Atemu's, lightning striking him dumb with bliss. His breath hitched and his lips buzzed, excitement shooting through him as he moved into the kiss. It was brief, a second, before Yuugi moved away, but so thrilling that his legs felt numb.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“That was … yeah, wow,” Atemu agreed and Yuugi laughed lightly, dropping his gaze.

“Goodnight, Yuugi,” Atemu said lowly and Yuugi lifted his head.

“Goodnight, Atemu,” he whispered and he turned to his door, his hand slipping not once, but twice, before he managed to insert his key and unlock it. Embarrassed, Yuugi laughed, waving to Atemu, and Atemu smiled as he backed up, accidentally bumping into an unsuspecting Mrs. Henderson, Yuugi's eccentric neighbor.

“Sorry, sorry – I'm _so_ sorry!” Atemu profusely apologized to Yuugi's drunk and laughing neighbor and Yuugi took the moment to step into his apartment, feeling lighter than air. Closing the door, Yuugi let out a happy sigh, locking it and turning around. When his eyes fell on Bakura sitting on his couch, he smiled.

“Hey,” he greeted and floated over to Bakura, his entire being happy and effervescent. Yuugi set the stuffed animals, the alien cup, and the cotton candy in the corner of the couch before sitting beside Bakura with a sigh. Clasping his hands in his lap, he hummed softly. The television was on, but Yuugi was not seeing it. His thoughts were on Atemu's kiss and the feel of his plump lips. He smiled to himself, his heart doing pirouettes of delight in his chest.

“Hey, pipsqueak,” Bakura greeted, “not gonna grill me for following you?”

“Nope,” Yuugi said, shrugging his shoulders with his smile still at his lips.

“Not gonna ask why I'm here?” Bakura continued warily.

“Guessing you wanted to cockblock,” Yuugi said lightly, unbothered.

“Kind of,” Bakura grunted, “mostly wanted to make sure you got home okay.”

Silence fell then and Yuugi did not reply. He knew Bakura would not want him to. So instead of calling attention to Bakura's sensibilities, Yuugi reached out and patted Bakura's thigh before settling back into the sofa, content.

“You look happy,” Bakura said, voice gruff, and Yuugi nodded.

“I am,” he said quietly.

“If he hurts you, I'll kill him,” Bakura promised and Yuugi smiled, shifting so that he was leaning against Bakura's arm. “I mean it,” Bakura said and Yuugi nodded, rubbing his cheek into his shoulder.

“Thank you, Bakura,” Yuugi said, his words full of emotion and meaning that utterly confused Bakura. After a few seconds, he turned his gaze to Yuugi, intent on questioning him, but instead took pause. He huffed, amused, and shifted, removing his arm to wrap it around Yuugi who was fast asleep. His eyes returned to the television screen and he relaxed, comfortable.

“You're welcome, Yuugi.”

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Yuugi and Atemu had a nice date. All's good in the world and even Bakura's given in. Pretty sure they won't get along, tho.
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed. Show me support by clicking that "Kudos" and dropping a comment! Feel free to share with your friends too!
> 
> Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Both English and Spanish comments are accepted.
> 
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> 
> Follow me on twitter [@nanadanonini](https://twitter.com/nanadanonini)! I post writing updates, life tidbits, line excerpts, and more! It's also great to let y'all know if I'm delaying a chapter update! You can also interact with me. ♡


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